A panel of experts testified before the Committee on Education and the Workforce on Tuesday; they’re sounding the alarm on Chinese influence in grade schools near U.S. Military bases.
According to the testimony, the Chinese Communist government has infiltrated more than 500 kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms across America, Free Beacon reports.
From The Free Beacon:
Throughout the last decade, China has spent more than $17 million establishing what are known as Confucius Classrooms in around 143 school districts across 34 states and Washington, D.C., according to Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, a watchdog group that obtained records outlining this funding. A significant portion of these Communist Party programs operate near U.S. military bases, giving CCP-affiliated teachers access to student data.
The amount of money China has spent establishing propaganda hubs in American public and private schools is likely far higher, according to Neily, who pointed to State Department and Senate investigations that found “hundreds more” CCP programs being run in U.S. classrooms.
In these Confucius Classrooms—which China bills as cultural exchange programs—teachers hand-picked by the Communist government “are given access to district servers and student information,” Neily testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. And with many of these programs located near U.S. military bases, there are mounting concerns that China is gaining access to information about American service members’ children.
“These ties raise serious concerns about the safety and security of military children and secrets,” Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL), the committee’s chairman, said in his opening remarks. “The CCP’s presence near our bases can be seen as a direct attempt to target and influence these vulnerable populations, potentially compromising our national security in the process.”
“Parents and administrators do not know what curriculum is being used in the classroom and must defer to teachers who are hand-selected and vetted by the PRC,” Neily said in her testimony. “As parents, we deserve to know whether hostile nations are pumping propaganda into our children’s heads.”
Is anyone paying attention yet?
